Myanmar Election Commission’s deputy chief shot dead by rebel fighters

Myanmar Election Commission’s deputy chief was shot dead in Yangon by rebel fighters, the military said on April 22, marking the latest killing of a high-profile official connected to the military junta.

After seizing control in a coup more than two years ago, Myanmar's military has spearheaded a campaign on dissent, causing social instability and an economic catastrophe. In opposition to the junta, self-declared civilian "People's Defence Forces" have emerged, and their fighters targeting officials perceived to be working with the military.

The Union Election Commission's deputy director Sai Kyaw Thu was shot dead in the eastern Yangon district of Thingangyun, according to a statement from the army's information team.

It claimed the "People's Defence Forces" opposed the coup but made no further details.

The military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February 2021 over unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud in elections the previous year.

It has directed the junta-stacked Election Commission to postpone new elections, which the military's detractors claim cannot possibly be free or fair. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party was disbanded by the commission last month for failing to re-register following strict new electoral regulations created by the military.

The Union Solidarity and Development Party, which is mostly supported by the military in Myanmar, has already registered, state media announced on April 21. At the polls in 1990, 2015, and 2020, Suu Kyi's NLD won the election and ousted the group.

Since the military attempted to seize power, which sparked a new round of fighting with ethnic rebels and gave rise to dozens of other opposition groups that are currently engaged in battle with the military, Myanmar has been in disarray.

Nearly every day, low-level junta officials or accused informers are killed across the nation, and the military frequently responds with swift information and retaliation.